The Dragon Queen

Trick of the Prince

Yet again was the Saltarion throne room filled with angry council members, but even so Lucia took that with relief. At least they weren't suitors. For some reason, according to Zane, many nobles were too frightened to court her. She couldn't understand why. It wasn't as if she had beheaded a hundred people since her reign began, unlike her great grandmother, Queen Elenor the Unethical. She was still the focal point of horror stories. But Lucia was glad of the lack of attention. It meant that she could finally start forcing her council to obey her for once. "My queen" Lord Igor, the ruler of the hot lands of Mistray began with an oily smirk "You must see that it isn't.... suitable for us to open our palaces to every stranger that needs help".

"I'm not asking that" Lucia replied, the speech well rehearsed in her head. Whenever she dared change anything about the way the kingdoms worked she would always be met with a thousand brick walls, but she had always ended up having her own way so far, and that was a winning streak she was not eager to break. "I am not nearly expecting you to go so far as to throw open your castle gates and allow those less fortunate to stay in your many show rooms".

"Oh, thankyou" Igor breathed, apparently mistaking her calmness for surrender.

"I am simply asking that you all create a fund for the poor in your kingdoms and ensure that it reaches those who need it". She may as well have asked them to cut off their own limbs.

"We already give so much!" an ambassador from Starnus exclaimed "Give anymore and what would be the point of taxes?".

"Have you never heard of compassion?" Princess Jenna, the heir to Saltari and Lucia's sister, snapped from Lucia's side. She didn't usually partake in matters so boring as court but she had got the dates of her visit wrong. She had actually intended to spend the day painting in the meadows of the castle but apparently a chance to see angry nobles was too good to miss. Just as the room was about to erupt into another world of arguing, votes and debating that would convince Lucia to make her realm a dictatorship, the throne room doors suddenly flew open, silencing the fighting at once. "Presenting Prince Alexander" a herald began "And Prince.... oh my..." . A faint murmuring began and an oddly limping duo came into view. She recognised the pair at once and it was all she could do to fight down a smile. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?" Igor snapped sharply at the two. The pair slowly moved into the room, ignoring him, and Prince Alexander anxiously looked up to where Lucia sat on her throne. "Its my brother, Your Highness!" he called to her with such an overly worried frown that it became a pout. His lying skills certainly left something to be desired. As if to emphasise his words, he roughly shook the ebony haired scowling man that he held in his muscled arms, clamped to his side, and Thomas gave a very forced huff. If Lucia hadn't had such facial control, she would have burst out laughing at the sight of him stiffly leaning against his brother. Alexander must have given him Heaven and Earth to persuade him to do this. "What about him?" Lucia asked. To the untrained eye, it looked like they were simply hugging each other. "He's dying, can't you see?" Alexander cried. After receiving a dig in the ribs, Thomas let out a very forced cough. "See? We need your help right away, Queen Lucia!" Alexander continued desperately. Lucia rolled her eyes but was grateful all the same. Wrestling down a smile, she looked to Jenna, who was watching the pair as if they were aliens that had landed in the room. "Jenna, could you take over for a moment?" she requested politely but firmly enough so that her sister wouldn't refuse "While I deal with whatever this is?".

"Yes!" Jenna cheered, to the groan of the rest of the council, and the second Lucia vacated the throne she was sat upon it.

"Leon!" she barked at the golden haired servant boy who accompanied her wherever she went and he instantly jumped to her side.

"Yes?".

"You're my scribe. Take down everything I say" Jenna ordered.

"My queen, please don't leave us with her" Zane hissed desperately out of the side of his mouth.